Burnt Bridges
by Yougottaeatdembeanz
Summary: When Marinette and Adrien want to go to college, what happens to the super duo? And how will they say goodbye? What's more important, how will they say hello again? Sorry if there are a few plot holes. Critiquing welcome. I used Jane Austen's habit of leaving certain place names blank. And...hope you enjoy!
1. What are Your Plans?

Marinette glanced over her shoulder and saw Adrien standing with Nino near the refreshments table. She looked at Alya, who gave her an encouraging nod. Wandering over, she grabbed a cup of punch and sipped it, listening to the boys talk.

"Yeah, My dad wants me to stay in his business, though I'm interested in some side careers, too. I think he's planning on sending me to some famous school for actors and models, but I'm also interested in some form of engineering or architecture. Hopefully he'll approve, as it's somewhere near fashion design." Adrien laughed.

"Yeah, man, maybe he will, " Nino replied. "And I can help you with the web design you'll need when you start your own company."

"That would be super cool, if I ever do." Adrien turned his attention to Marinette. "What about you, Marinette?"

She coughed a little on her punch. "Haha, me?" Marinette still hadn't entirely gotten over her nervousness around Adrien, and it still cropped up sometimes, when he spoke to her unexpectedly.

"Yeah. What do you plan to do with your future?"

"Ummm..." She hesitated, wondering how much detail to go into. "well, I've been planning on going to _ for a long time now, but recently I've come across some obstacles that I don't know if I'll be able to overcome. If I do go, it's going to be a few years before I come back to Paris, though."

"Hey, Marinette, I believe in you." Adrien said. "You'll be able to overcome any obstacles."

"Thanks, Adrien, but this isn't just about me this time. Some people are depending on me staying for... Well, for as long as I can."

"Well, good luck. And I'll miss you if you do go." Adrien smiled.

"I'll miss you too," squeaked Marinette, barely able to contain herself.


	2. This Has to be Goodbye

Ladybug sat on a bar of the Eiffel tower, gazing over the glowing city while she waited for Chat Noir to show up. Over the past year, they had taken to meeting each night to hang out like this. In the beginning their relationship had been uncomfortable, at least for Ladybug. After she'd gotten used to Chat nearly constantly flirting with her, she realized that he probably didn't mean it any more than when he flirted with Marinette, or any other girl for that matter. Then they had fallen into a comfortable routine, and had become very close. That was what had started the nightly visits.

Chat landed next to her. "Hello, my lady." He sounded thoughtful.

"Hey, Chat. What's on your mind?"

"Oh, you know. A lot of changes around the corner, what with me being graduated now." By this point, they had figured out that they were both in high school. While this had upset Ladybug at first, she soon realised that it didn't really narrow down the options for their secret identities anyway.

"Yeah, I graduated today too."

"Ladybug, there's another change I need to talk about with you." Chat looked away sadly.

"We can't talk about our civilian lives too much, Chat," Ladybug replied.

"I know. This one has to do with Chat... me. I'm going to have to... I don't know how to put this. Ladybug, do you think..." Chat trailed to a stop.

Ladybug didn't push him.

"I've been thinking about this for a while. When Hawkmoth makes an Akuma, it's to try to get our miraculouses. What if we didn't fight together all the time? Then he couldn't get our miraculouses and he'd stop making Akumas. If I didn't show up for a few fights, and if Hawkmoth were to stop making Akumas because of that, maybe we could take a break from being superheroes for a while, and pursue our civilian lives. I mean, if we continue like this, neither of us will be able to go to college. And once our lives went back to normal, after college if that's necessary, we can go back to trying to find Hawkmoth and stop him."

During Chat's ramble, Ladybug's eyes got bigger and bigger. This was not like Chat at all! The Chat who almost looked forward to the Parisian villains so he could see her. The Chat who couldn't be serious to save his 'nine lives'. The Chat who never thought about the future.

"Are you sure you want this, Chat?" She finally asked.

"I'm sorry, it probably looks like I'm just a coward or something. I just thought that you deserved a chance to have a normal life, go to college, pursue... Whatever it is that you want to in your civilian fom. I wish I knew what that was. I thought you'd like... I don't know, I guess it was stupid of me." Chat hung his head.

"No! Chat! I love that idea. I can't believe you care this much about me getting what I want in my civilian form, too. If this works, it could solve all my problems! Then I could go to... " She stopped. "Never mind, that's civilian stuff. Chat, you're a genius." She hugged him.

A smile crept onto Chat's face. "Thank you, Princess. But if we do it, this has to be goodbye."

A small silence fell.

"For now, Chaton," Ladybug leaned forward and hugged Chat again. When they pulled apart, both their eyes were glossy.

Ladybug leapt away, and Chat whispered, "Goodbye, mon coeur."


	3. See You in Two Years

Marinette couldn't believe it. Chat's crazy plan had actually worked. After a few fights with some akumatized victims alone, they stopped coming, slowly but surely. It had been nearly a month since the last Akuma, and Marinette had begun to hope that she really could go to _. Most of her friends had already left for their various career and higher educational pursuits, and she felt alone. Only Adrien hadn't left yet, but even after graduation night, they never talked.

Chat, of course, had not once really left her to fight an Akuma alone, but she didn't know that. He had only stayed in the shadows, watching in case anything went wrong. He was still ready to risk his life for her, but now no one could find out. When the Akumas stopped coming, he, too, felt alone.

Marinette, for the hundredth time that day, looked at Adrien's contact on her phone. She wanted to call him, to tell him that she'd been accepted to , but how could she? It had been months since they had last seen each other.

Suddenly her phone rang and she instinctively picked it up and said hello, before she realized that the name on the screen had been Adrien's.

"Hey, Marinette, how have you been?" Adrien's voice came out of her phone and snapped her to her senses.

"Oh, hi, Adrien, good, how about? You?" She stuttered.

"I'm doing OK, I guess. I just wanted to call and let you know I'll be leaving for a while. I've been accepted to _."

"Oh, " Marinette said. A moment later, she realised the line had gone painfully quiet. "I'm so happy for you! Was it your first choice?"

"Actually, it was my dad's choice. But I think I'll like it. I can do modeling for a club, and do architecture as my major."

"That's great, Adrien!" Marinette smiled. "So... I've been meaning to call you, too, to tell you that _ accepted me, too."

"Oh, Marinette, that's great! You'll be studying design?"

"Yeah, among other things. I want to improve as many of my talents as possible."

"Well, don't overburden yourself. Maybe you should just pick out your favorites!"

The two laughed, and Marinette felt the most comfortable with him she had ever been before.

"You said you'd be gone a few years," Adrien remembered. "Does that mean you won't be back for the holidays?"

"Probably not. It's just too much hassle, and it would take out of my studying time. I'm going to try to finish in two years, if possible."

"Two years..." Marinette heard Adrien say under his breath. "Well, good luck. See you around!"

"Yeah, good luck to you, too. And thank you, Adrien." Marinette sighed.

"Bye."


	4. Transitions

"Are you sure you can't visit this winter, girl?" Alya asked, frowning.

"Sorry, dear," Sabine answered. "We want the same thing, but Marinette is determined to get her schooling over with as soon as possible, which means studying every chance she gets with no breaks."

Tom looked at Marinette with a sort of loving reproachfulness that made Marinette feel like the worst daughter ever. "But just think, guys. If I don't come for visits, I'll be back for good sooner, and then we can stay together the rest of the time!"

"That doesn't stop us from wanting to see you even sooner than that!" Sabine smiled. "You must make sure to call us every day, and tell us how you're doing. We'll miss you, Sweetie, even though we're happy for you."

A voice came over the intercom, announcing that Marinette's flight was boarding. "I have to go now guys, thank you all for coming to say goodbye!" Marinette hugged them each, tears coming to her eyes. "I can't wait to see you again!"

As she turned to get in line, she noticed a blonde boy running toward them. "Wait! Marinette, hold on!"

Adrien came up, panting. "I leave tomorrow," he huffed, "and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to say goodbye in person."

"Oh, thank you, Adrien! Good luck at ," Marinette said, beaming.

"You too. Sorry I'm so late. Goodbye," Adrien said, then gave Marinette a quick hug. "Let me know when you get back."

"I will," Marinette said wonderingly. Could it be that Adrien was finally interested in her? She noticed he parents smiling, and blushed. "I should go. Thank you for seeing me off," she said, then turned and headed for the person scanning the tickets.

XXXX

The first month at _ was interesting and a little frightening, but Marinette constantly drew on her Ladybug confidence and charisma. She wished she had Chat to help her, but she was grateful that Tikki stayed with her during this time.

"I wouldn't leave you, silly," Tikki said, when Marinette voiced this thankfulness. "Anyway, you're planning on going back to being Ladybug, so even if I wanted to, which I don't, my commitment to you isn't over yet."

Marinette smiled, one day, thinking of that conversation. She was now into her second year of college, and she was enjoying every minute of it, though it pushed her in ways she'd never experienced before. Besides fashion design, she had also begun learning baking, woodworking, and surprisingly, math. In the second semester of her first year, Marinette had discovered that she loved math.

She had made a few friends during the time she was at college, but for the most part she stayed to herself. After all, she didn't have much time to hang out. Her roommate was nice, but she liked to party, so she wasn't really home much.

Marinette succeeded in graduating in two years. It took a lot of effort and commitment, but when she finished, Marinette was satisfied. She was ready to go back to Paris, though she didn't know what was waiting there for her. It was a little worrisome, not having a plan, but also a little exciting. It reminded her of her lucky charm. She never knew what would happen before it happened, but once her lucky charm appeared, the plan always followed close behind.

She began looking for tickets back to Paris. She continued talking to her parents and Alya, but she didn't tell Alya that she'd be coming back soon. It would be such a great surprise to just one day show up on Alya's doorstep!

XXXX

"Marinette! It's so good to see you, sweetie! Let me hug you!" Sabine came running as soon as Marinette stepped into the waiting room.

Marinette put down her bags and hugged both her parents. "Oh, Mom, Dad, it's so good to see you!"

"I've got some lovely things and a cake made to welcome you back to the patisserie. We left your room just like you had it when you left," Tom said, smiling fondly at her daughter.

When Marinette stepped up into her room after the trip home and two hours of hanging out with her parents, she laughed. "You sure did leave it just the same. Oh, look at the teenager's mind." She gestured to the posters of Adrien Agreste plastered over the walls, the computer screen, and even the ceiling. She glanced at her locked diary on the desk, and her bed freshly made. "It's good to be home, Mom and Dad."

"And it's good to have you. Now it's getting late. Have a good sleep, dear!" Sabine smiled and left her daughter to get ready for bed.

Instead, Marinette picked up her journal and unlocked it. She flipped through a few pages and smiled. Then she turned to the computer and looked at the pictures of Adrien. What must he look like, now, she wondered. He would be at least nineteen, maybe twenty by now. Oh, who was she kidding, she knew he was twenty. Four years of high school spent memorizing every aspect of his life, and she still knew every trivia fact you could ask for.

She did wonder if he had finished college, though, or if he was going for a full four years. Suddenly she remembered two years ago in the airport.

"Let me know when you get back," he had said.

She shook her head. First of all, she was over him. Why get all worked up about whether he knew she was back or not. Second, she didn't even know if he had the same number as when they were in high school. How could she contact him anyway? She threw on some pajamas and got into bed, thinking of surprising Alya the next day.

Suddenly she remembered. She had said she would try to tell him when she got back. She couldn't break her word, just with trivial justifications like that. She picked up her phone and looked through her contacts. Yes, there he was. Quickly, she typed, "Hey, Adrien, this is Marinette. Is this still your number?" She tapped send, put her phone on silent, then turned over and settled down.

The next morning, she saw that she had gotten a message. She jumped up and grabbed her phone, then laughed at herself. She was over Adrien, anyway!

The message read, "Sorry, you must have a wrong number. I'm not Adrien."

Well, that settled things then. She got up and began to get dressed. This morning, she was going to go to Alya's house and surprise her. After throwing on some clothes, she ran downstairs and was greeted by the smell of a warm breakfast waiting for her.


	5. Welcome Home

Alya's door opened, and Marinette smiled. "Hello, Alya!"

"OMG girl, you're back!" Alya squealed. "This is perfect, today is my day off! Come on in!" She opened the door wider and let Marinette in.

"Hey, Alya. It's great to see you. How's your job been treating you?"

"Oh, great. I'm loving journalism. What about you? What are you planning on doing now that you're back?"

"No long term plans yet, but I was hoping we could go take a walk around for a while this morning," Marinette laughed.

"Sure thing! Let me grab my phone."

The two girls walked around for a while before Alya suddenly tapped Marinette's shoulder with a sly look. She pointed to a large building they were passing. "Hey, Marinette, what say we drop in on the Agrestes?"

Marinette smiled. "Sorry to disappoint you, Alya, but we can't do that. We weren't invited, and I'm over Adrien anyway! That was just a silly teenaged crush."

"If you say so," Alya conceded, "But I'll have you know that Adrien has definitely improved with age."

"What do you mean? How can you improve on perfection?" Marinette joked, and the girls burst into a gale of laughter.

They spent the day together, and it was incredible. They both felt like they were slipping back into old times, the only difference being the lack of school.

Later that night, Marinette stood on her balcony, reveling in the feeling of being home. As she gazed over the cityscape, she noticed a black shadow leaping from rooftop to rooftop. It was headed in the direction of the Eiffel tower.

"Tikki, it's Chat! Come on!" Marinette jumped up, her voice cracking. Through her years at college, she hadn't forgotten Chat, and she had missed him more than she liked to admit. Sometimes she wondered if she had begun to like him before she left Paris, because he featured in her dreams and recollections more than Adrien did. He was her best friend, though, and she and Adrien never talked. That accounted for it in her opinion.

"Marinette, no one can discover that you're Ladybug. Wouldn't it be suspicious if you both returned so close together?" Tikki worried.

Marinette thought for a minute. "I'll only let Chat see me, Tikki, and I'll be careful. I need to see him, and if he's out tonight, I don't want to miss the opportunity!"

"OK, Marinette. Just be careful."

"Tikki, time to transform! Spots on!" The transformation gave Marinette a giddy feeling. She hadn't done it for two years, but it felt as comfortable as home.


	6. I'll Come Back

Ladybug stood for a moment on her balcony, taking a deep breath. In just a few minutes, she hoped, she would be seeing Chat Noir for the first time in two years. She leapt up and swung her yo-yo out. The sensation of flying overwhelmed her, and she let out a tiny squeal.

Soon, she reached the Eiffel tower and began to swing herself up. She approached a shadow which seemed to be sitting, leaning upon one of the cross beams. It heard her coming and turned. A pair of green eyes faced her, and the shadow stood up.

"Ladybug?" The voice sounded a little strange.

"Chat! I'm so glad I caught you here!" Ladybug reached out to Chat.

Chat barreled toward her and caught her in a hug so swift and sudden that it knocked her off her feet. She let out a little scream as they stumbled on the narrow beam, her arms wrapped tightly around Chat. For a moment, she forgot about her yo-yo. Chat extended his pole, which held them up long enough to regain their balance.

"My lady!" Chat gasped. "It's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!"

"Me, too, Chat. What have you been up to while I've been gone?" Ladybug smiled.

"A lot in my civilian life, but as Chat Noir, nothing. There hasn't been much going on in Paris since you left. Not much that the ordinary authorities can't take care of." Chat twiddled his thumbs glumly and Ladybug laughed.

"I'm sorry I took away your chance to be in the spotlight."

"Oh, don't worry, you didn't," Chat Noir said, then his eyes widened. "I'm sorry, that came out before I thought."

Ladybug sighed. "That's ok. I've been thinking, and..." she trailed off, then changed the subject. "Why were you out tonight then?"

Chat Noir's face brightened. "I come out every night and sit here, waiting for you," he said cheerfully.

"Oh, Chat, you don't!" Ladybug grinned. "Every night?"

"Well, I had to miss a couple, but that was only because of weather."

Ladybug laughed again. "Oh, Chaton, I don't deserve a friend like you."

Chat Noir frowned. "I don't want to contradict you, m'lady, but I'm afraid I can't agree with you this time."

"You would if you knew who I really was," Ladybug sighed.

"That's ridiculous," Chat replied. "I love the girl behind the mask, too, you know."

Ladybug blushed. "You can't know that."

"I can prove it, though," Chat said, then looked away sheepishly. "I'm sorry, that wasn't considerate of me."

"No, Chat, it's OK." Ladybug sounded like she wanted to say more, but she didn't continue.

Chat looked at the screen on his pole. "Wow, it's nearly midnight," he commented.

"Oh my gosh, Chat! I have to go!" Ladybug gasped, and turned away. "Please, tell me we can see each other again soon."

"Of course. I'll be here every night. Come when you can, Purrincess," said Chat with a smirk.

They hugged once more, and Ladybug swung back to her balcony. She detransformed, and Tikki floated up before her eyes.

"I'm glad that worked well, but I just remembered something," Tikki squeaked. "If Hawkmoth finds out you're back, he'll send more akumas and then you'll have to come out of hiding! We can't risk letting Ladybug out for at least another month. People have to be used to seeing you around again, your life has to have been settled for a long time before people see you."

"Tikki! I promised Chat Noir I'd come see him again!" Marinette wailed.

"I'm sorry, Marinette, but you can't." Tikki frowned.

"But Tikki, it will be suspicious if Ladybug comes back after I get settled, too, won't it?"

"Not really," Tikki smiled. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I know this is hard, but you need to be responsible with your powers now more than ever!"

Marinette flopped into bed. Suddenly she started crying. "I have to see Chat again," she said. "I told him I would, and he'll think I'm mad at him for what he said, and I need to talk to him, and I still miss him, and..."

Tikki sat on her back and tried to comfort her, but Marinette was exhausted. She cried until she fell asleep, then Tikki went and laid down in her little bed.


	7. Unexpected Meetings

The next day, Marinette woke up feeling like she hadn't slept well. She sighed and sat up, glancing at her phone. A message alert flashed, so she picked it up and opened it. Alya had messaged her to ask if she wanted to hang out that afternoon when Alya got off work.

Flopping back against her pillows, Marinette pondered how to answer. She really wanted to see Alya some more, but after her discussion with Tikki last night, she also just felt like sleeping all day.

"Marinette, you need to pull yourself together," Tikki broke into her thoughts. "Just because you're sad about Chat Noir, doesn't mean you can just mope all day. That will only make you feel worse."

Marinette sighed again. "You're right as usual, Tikki."

She got up and got dressed. Soon, she heard her mom coming up the stairs to her room. With a smile pasted onto her face, she greeted her mom.

Sabine looked at Marinette penetratingly. "Are you all right, dear?"

"Yeah, I'm fine mom. I guess it's just tiring, facing so many changes again." Marinette avoided her mom's eyes. "I think I'll be going out with Alya around 4:30 today. She wanted to show me a new coffee shop she's fallen in love with." Marinette's smile grew a little more genuine and Sabine seemed satisfied.

"You know what you need, dear?"

"What?"

"You need to find yourself something to do. Get a job, and start working on getting your own life started."

Marinette laughed. "You were always the one who wasn't ready for me to leave home yet!"

"Oh, I'm not. You'll still be welcome to stay here just as long as you want to, dear. What will your father and I do all by ourselves if you leave?"

"You did it for two years," said Marinette.

"And that was by far long enough. Now come and get some breakfast."

Marinette went downstairs with her mom, feeling a little better. Her mom was right. Maybe this morning she could start looking for positions. In the meantime, she could start working at the patisserie again.

Her mom liked that idea. "Maybe that could just be your job," she suggested helpfully. "Your dad and I could start paying you full wages."

"Oh, mom, I couldn't do that. If I'm going to be working for the money, it won't be here! I work here because I love it and I love you!"

"I wonder if you would have said the same thing in high school," her mom mused, with a smile.

"Me, too," Marinette laughed.

Down at the patisserie counter, Marinette felt happy again, wrapping orders and greeting customers.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any more like when she was in high school, the patisserie doorbell rang and a familiar looking blonde young man walked in. Marinette's heart leapt into her throat, but a moment later she composed herself and laughed that she should still have such residual nervousness. She was a grown woman, now, and she would not behave like a teenager! But the teenager feelings seemed to be returning fast as the man approached the counter.

Deciding to play it dumb, for fear of making a fool of herself, Marinette spoke up. "Hello, welcome to the Dupen-Cheng Patisserie! How may I help you?"

Adrien looked up from his phone, a huge smile on his face. "Marinette! You didn't tell me you were back!"

"Adrien!" Marinette said, then wondered what to say next. "Umm, you changed your phone number."

"Oh, I forgot about that. I can't believe I forgot to tell you," Adrien said. "Well, at least you tried to keep your promise."

Marinette laughed. "Yes, I did."

"Hey, we should hang out sometime," Adrien suggested. "Maybe we could go to a coffee shop tomorrow?"

Marinette's eyes widened. "I'd love that," she managed.

"I'm glad I was hungry this morning, or who knows how long it would have been before I found out you were back," said Adrien, obviously not realizing he had just made Marinette's world explode.

"Speaking of which," Marinette said with a dazed tone of voice, "may I take your order?"

Adrien laughed. "You just about fit the bill," he joked. "You're a sight for sore eyes. But I think a couple of croissants would also be nice."

Marinette was glad for the excuse to turn her back on Adrien while she filled the order, because her cheeks were flaming. Maybe she wasn't quite as 'over' Adrien as she thought she was. When she turned back around, her blushing was under control, but then she noticed that Adrien was scrutinizing her, and she almost started up again.

"You know, another friend of mine just returned from a two year absence, too," Adrien commented.

"Oh." Marinette nodded. "That's nice. Is it Chloe?"

"No, I don't think you've ever met her," Adrien answered. He turned to go, still looking thoughtful. At the door, he seemed to remember Marinette, so he turned and waved.

Marinette wondered who this other girl was, and why Adrien seemed so wrapped up in how close their returns were. She hoped it wasn't his girlfriend, but then she felt silly. Of course, in her absence of two years, he would find a girlfriend. He was a model, after all.

Adrien stayed lost in thoughts as he exited the patisserie. It was funny how close Marinette and Ladybug's returns were. He hadn't noticed before, but Marinette looked an awful lot like Ladybug. And they had both stopped wearing their hair in pigtails since he had last seen them. It wouldn't be too bad if Marinette were Ladybug, thought Adrien. After all, they were both just about the nicest, smartest girls he knew. The only difference was how poised Ladybug was in comparison to Marinette.

Suddenly, a memory flashed across Adrien's mind. It hadn't seemed to matter at the time, but there was one time back in high school when Alix had been akumatized. He and Ladybug had saved the day as usual, but their whole class was gathered at the park to witness the race, and he had a vague memory of seeing Marinette there. Was she still there when Ladybug had appeared? He thought so, but he wasn't sure.


	8. It Was Her!

Chat sat waiting on the Eiffel tower. It was really late, and Ladybug still hadn't arrived. Chat kept telling himself he'd only wait one more minute, but at the end of every minute, he started fearing that he'd miss her.

Finally he told himself she wasn't coming. He tried to deny the disappointment, but doubts kept creeping in. Maybe he had only imagined how happy Ladybug had seemed to see him. Maybe she was tired of him and his dumb cat puns. He had tried to tone it down for her, and he had avoided making any puns the first night she was back, but maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe she had found a new best friend, or maybe even a boyfriend while she was gone. He wouldn't be surprised. Any guy would jump at the opportunity to have a girl like Ladybug.

The next day, Natalie thought Adrien seemed a little out of it, but she didn't comment. Sometimes Adrien got in moods, and she had learned that the best course of action in that situation, was to leave him alone and let him sort it out himself. She wondered if it might be better for him to have someone his own age to talk about his problems with, but she stayed out of it. He was a boy, after all, and he did have friends he could talk to if he wanted to.

XXXX

Adrien sat up in bed. It was nearly midnight, but he had just had an epiphany. Marinette _had_ been there when Ladybug came to save Alix. But then, a second Ladybug had come and said something about time travel. Marinette had disappeared at that point. Adrien scratched his head, wondering how he remembered things so clearly all of a sudden. He didn't notice a small green turtle kwami dart away from his open window.

Adrien wracked his brain, trying to remember every time he had been around Marinette when an akuma had appeared. He didn't come up with much, because every time it had happened, he was too busy trying to find an excuse to leave and transform. He wondered if Alya would remember, and almost picked up his phone to text her, but then he realized that Alya was the last person he would want suspicious that Marinette was Ladybug. She wouldn't be able to help herself, she would just fire up the Ladyblog and spill the beans, Adrien was certain.

"Plagg," he whispered. "Plagg, wake up!"

The black kwami groaned. "Is it breakfast time?"

"Not yet. I have a question."

"Can't it wait till morning?"

"No! I need to know, do you know who Ladybug's civilian form is?" Adrien wondered why he had never thought to ask Plagg this before, but then he remembered how he was trying to respect Ladybug's wishes. But anyway, hadn't Plagg accidentally told him that most Ladybugs and Chat Noirs ended up revealing?

Plagg groaned again. "Geez, Adrien, I thought you were over that."

Adrien smiled. "I don't think I'll be over Ladybug anytime soon."

"I meant, I thought you were over trying to find out who she was." Plagg looked smugly at Adrien.

"I was, but now I think I already know. So it wouldn't hurt to know if you know or not!" Adrien's logic didn't even make sense to him, but it was midnight, he was tired, and he was just the tiniest bit obsessed.

"Yeah, I know. I can always sense Tikki around." Plagg raised an eyebrow. "But I ain't telling you who it is."

"I didn't want you to. Who's Tikki?"

"She's Ma-- I mean Ladybug's kwami. She's super sweet, much like the cookies she eats, and she is very wise, kind, and, um," Plagg rambled, trying to cover his mistake. "And the only thing wrong with her is that she doesn't like camembert!"

Plagg dashed back to wherever it was that he liked to sleep, and Adrien leaned back against his pillows. Plagg had started to say Marinette, Adrien was certain.

"Plagg, I just have one more question," Adrien called.

Plagg ignored him.

"Hey, Plagg."

Nothing.

Adrien grumbled something about how ungrateful cats were, then climbed back into bed.


	9. What if We Could?

After Marinette got home from the coffee shop and said bye to Alya, she went up to her room and let Tikki out of her purse.

"Tikki, I've been thinking," she said.

"If it's about Chat Noir, I'm sorry, but I can't change my answer."

Marinette frowned, but persisted. "It is about Chat Noir, but it's only a hypothetical question."

"Well, ok," Tikki conceded, "but you have to understand, I'll give you an honest answer, even if it really is a hypothetical question."

"It is," said Marinette defensively. "I've been thinking for a really long time about this."

"Fire away," Tikki said, settling herself into her little bed.

"I want to know about the other, past Ladybugs and Chat Noirs. Specifically, I want to know about their relationships."

Tikki smiled knowingly.

"It's not like that, Tikki!" Marinette said. "I just wanted to know, because... Well, I was wondering if any of them ever revealed their true identities to each other."

Tikki laughed, a small tinkling laugh that made Marinette suddenly feel like all her troubles weren't as bad as she thought.

"Oh, Marinette. I have wanted you to ask that very question for a long time. Are you starting to wish you could tell Chat who you really are?"

"No." Marinette sounded serious. "Even if I could tell him, I don't want him to know who I really am. Maybe if I were more like Ladybug in real life... But no. I just want to know if I'm being totally unreasonable with Chat, forcing us to be so secretive."

"Well," said Tikki slowly, "it is a little unreasonable. Almost all of the other heroes have revealed to each other. But some, like you, deemed it too dangerous, and some just didn't want to reveal."

Marinette nodded. "Thanks, Tikki."

"And Marinette?" Tikki added. "You are like Ladybug in real life. I've never had two Ladybugs quite the same, and it's because every Ladybug's alter-ego adds some of her personality to Ladybug. You, as Ladybug, are extra creative, for one thing. The other Ladybugs I've worked for, their lucky charms were often weapons or something like that, but you always get something totally random, and you always come up with a plan that solves the problem without hurting anyone. And that's how you solve problems as Marinette, too: creatively, and without hurting anyone. I could give more examples of how you are like Ladybug as Marinette, but that's just my favorite."

Marinette felt her eyes sting, and she picked up the little kwami. "Thank you, Tikki, that means the world to me." She kissed Tikki's head gently.

XXXX

When Ladybug didn't show up at the Eiffel tower for the second night in a row, Chat Noir was fed up, and he decided to do something about it. He was already 93% sure that Marinette was Ladybug, so he just needed to find a way to make sure, and then tell either Ladybug or Marinette without either of them getting mad at him, reveal who he was, and convince Marinette or Ladybug to love him. Totally doable.

He was confident for about two minutes, then he realised that he didn't have much of a chance. He didn't have a clue how to go about finding out if Marinette was Ladybug, let alone get to the rest of the steps.

Then again, he'd never get anywhere with that mindset. Chat Noir decided to just keep his eyes out for any opportunities, as Chat and as Adrien.


	10. A New Plan

This time, it was four o'clock in the morning when Marinette sat up with a screech. Tikki shot up out of her little bed, alarmed.

"Are you all right?" Tikki sounded very concerned.

"Tikki! I could have called Chat with my yo-yo," Marinette wailed. "And now he probably thinks I'm mad at him and I ignored him and I feel like such a jerk!"

"Oh, Marinette," Tikki sighed. "I'm so sorry. Maybe it's not too late!"

"How could I have been so stupid?" Marinette cried. "Tikki, spots on!"

"Wait!" Tikki yelled, but she was already being pulled into Marinette's earrings.

Ladybug unclasped her yo-yo from around her waist, opened it up, and called Chat.

It rang and rang, and finally Marinette sighed. "Of course. He's not transformed right now. I really am an idiot. Tikki, spots off."

Tikki floated up to face Marinette. "That's what I was going to tell you, but it doesn't really matter. He'll see that he missed a call from you next time he transforms!"

"But who knows when that will be," Marinette groaned.

"Didn't he say he visits the Eiffel Tower every night as Chat Noir?"

"That was before I got back and started ignoring him. Oh, Tikki, I've ruined everything!"

Marinette lay in bed, crying over Chat Noir for the second time in a week. What was wrong with her? The rest of her sleep that night was restive and not helpful.

XXXX

The next night, Adrien stood before his window, pondering his ring. Was it worth it to go to the Eiffel tower and have his hopes crushed again? It had been four days since Ladybug had returned, and the fact that she hadn't showed up even to him in that time, made him wonder if maybe she didn't even want to be Ladybug anymore.

But she had said she would meet him there 'when she could,' so he guessed he'd better wait there every night so she wouldn't be disappointed if she ever did show up.

"Plagg, claws out," he sighed.

As soon as he transformed, his staff beeped, letting him know he had a message. His heart skipped a beat, and he opened the little screen. Sure enough, he had missed a call from Ladybug. Without thinking, he clicked 'call back,' and waited for her to pick up.

She didn't. But that didn't dampen his spirits much; after all, hadn't his Lady finally contacted him again? And he could only call her when they were both transformed anyway. He leapt away to the Eiffel tower, and waited to see what events would transpire.

After fifteen minutes waiting in the cold night air, his spirits did finally start to drop. Maybe it had been a pocket dial or something. Could Ladybug's yo-yo even pocket dial?

Then his staff beeped again, and he jumped fit to put any scared cat to shame. His staff skittered away on the crossbeam he was sitting on, and he expertly pounced on it. He nearly whacked himself in the face, he picked it up so fast.

"Hello?" His voice was shaky.

"Chat? You're there? You still waited for me?" Ladybug's voice seemed to quiver, but Chat put it off as bad connection.

In reality, their magic phones couldn't have bad connection, and Ladybug's voice had been quivering with relief. "I'm so sorry I haven't contacted you sooner," she explained, "but Tikki said I shouldn't come out so soon after-- I mean, I just can't come and see you for a while, and I forgot I could call you, and then when I did call you, you weren't transformed, and... And..."

This time, Chat was sure Ladybug's voice was quivering. "Are you all right, m'lady?"

"I'm fine, I've just been so worried, and everything is changing so fast, and..." yet again she trailed off, at a loss for words. "I'm sorry, Chat."

Chat was flabbergasted at this emotion coming from his strong, independent Ladybug. Not knowing how to respond, he fell back on his usual lightheartedness. "Hey, it's no biggie," he stated. "I haven't got much else to do... As Chat Noir anyway."

Ladybug giggled, and Chat Noir could have sworn it was Marinette's giggle. Everything was pointing to Ladybug's identity being Marinette, but how could he be sure? Would it be horribly inconsiderate if he were to ask her for her identity like old times? Like old times. That meant humorously. Right, he could do that.

"Hey, Princess, can I ask you a favor?" Chat put all his guile and charm into that sentence, hoping that it would bring back old memories for Ladybug.

"Oh, Chat, you won't ever change, will you?" Ladybug really laughed this time. So it had worked.

"Indeed I won't, m'lady, and to prove the point, may I ask... Who are you beneath the mask?" Chat winced.

The line stayed silent for a very long time. Was Ladybug wavering?

"Oh, Chat," she finally said.

Masking his disappointment, Chat spoke up before Ladybug had a chance to finish her decline. "That's ok. Maybe someday. I have to go," he said, hoping it wasn't too abrupt.

"Goodbye, Chaton," Ladybug said.

"Goodbye." Chat hung up.

Well, that hadn't exactly gone according to plan, but Chat wasn't surprised. Maybe he could find out from the other end.

Suddenly, he had an idea. It was diabolical, and it was something neither Chat Noir nor Adrien would have done, if he wasn't desperate. But he was desperate, and he was willing to use any means available to him.


	11. Too Blunt?

Once more, Marinette's heart fluttered as the doorbell of the patisserie jingled and Adrien walked in. She still felt silly, but she wasn't the only one.

Adrien looked at Marinette as he walked into the bakery, and suddenly he wondered if he could go through with his plan. It was dirty, and he knew it, but it would be worth it if he got the information he wanted. Besides, if Marinette really was Ladybug, it wouldn't matter that much.

His plan was simple. He had noticed that when he first saw Marinette, she seemed much more at ease than he had remembered her being in high school. He figured it was because she was more independent now. But then, she had gotten progressively more uncomfortable, fidgety, and stuttery the longer he had been with her. He figured it was probably because he was a model, and she probably had a celebrity crush on him, like all the other girls seemed to. As much as he wished it otherwise, he assumed that must be it. So, he was going to use her weakness against her: flirt with her until she couldn't handle it anymore, work in a few pet names Chat Noir had given Ladybug, and gauge her reaction. Hopefully, by the end, she would accidentally reveal to him. Simple, really.

Simple, until he realised that he really couldn't manipulate Marinette like that. She was far too sweet and trusting. He shook his head, frustrated that his last resort was falling through, and all because he couldn't bring himself to risk hurting Marinette. Fine, that wasn't a bad thing, but it was still frustrating.

He walked up to the counter with a friendly smile on his face. "Hey, Marinette. Could I get a box of macaroons to go?"

He noticed the flush on her cheeks and the way she avoided his gaze, as well as the fact that she merely nodded in response before turning to fill his order.

"Cat got your tongue?" He joked.

Marinette froze for a split second. She knew that voice. And it wasn't Adrien's. "What are you doing here, Chat?" She turned around, expecting Chat Noir to be waiting in line behind Adrien.

Instead, Adrien was there alone, a shell-shocked expression on his face. "Wh- what did you call me?"

Marinette's eyes widened in shock and confusion. "I-- I thought I heard..."

"Chat Noir?"

Marinette nodded, then shoved the box of macaroons at Adrien. "I'm sorry, that was weird. I need to go... I need to go... Um, could you excuse me?" She turned and dashed through the back of the bakery, and ascended to her house.

Adrien stood at the counter with the box of macaroons he still hadn't paid for in his hand. Nobody else was in the bakery, so he just left the box on the counter. Maybe next time he'd have more luck.

XXXX

Determined to weed the truth out of Marinette with as little underhandedness as possible, Adrien returned to the bakery on the following afternoon. He hoped to have a casual conversation with her, so this time after Marinette filled his order, he leaned against the counter and began snacking, glad the bakery was empty again.

"So, Marinette," he began, "how is it, being back?"

Marinette jeered a glance at him, then stiffly answered, "It's been great, and I like working at my parents' bakery."

Adrien let out a little laugh, watching Marinette out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, it's all right, m'lady, you don't need to be afraid of me!"

The start she gave at his little nickname did not escape him. "I'm not," she said, a tad defensively.

"Well, other than working here, what have you been up to?"

"Um. Just hanging about, I guess. I've gone for coffee with Alya a few times. You know. Not much." Marinette was fiddling with the flattened boxes on the counter. Suddenly, she turned around and began 'tidying' the rest of the area. "I've been enjoying walking in the park. Reminds me of when I was in high school for some reason."

"I get that. They used to love doing photo shoots there back then, and I remember seeing you sometimes."

A silence ensued, and finally Marinette broke in, "So, do you still do photo shoots there?"

"Oh, not much. They prefer indoor settings now, and I really have been avoiding modeling more recently. I prefer engineering!"

"Oh."

Adrien tapped his fingers on the counter, searching for something to say. Suddenly, without any warning, he blurted out, "Listen, Marinette, I've been meaning to ask, and since no one's around, maybe now's the best time, but I can't figure out how to do this subtlely or with tact, so can you just tell me if you're Ladybug?" His eyes widened, like he hadn't planned on saying that either, and he slapped a hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry, never mind, forget I asked that, I guess I'm just a little obsessed, and maybe I see Ladybug everywhere I go."

Marinette, still stunned, watched him head for the door, completely forgetting his box of sweets. Right as his hand reached the door handle, she gasped. He turned around, with a questioning look on his face. Marinette's face was pale, and her mouth hung open.

Adrien realised that there were tears falling off her face, and suddenly he felt like kicking himself. "Oh, Marinette, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that!" He dashed for the counter again, and reached over to take her hand. "I've just been thinking it for a long time, and suddenly I just couldn't hold it in anymore!"

Marinette nodded, the shocked expression gone. She was still crying. "I think I need to sit down," she whispered.

Adrien went around the counter and helped her to a seat.

"How did you know?" Marinette asked.

Adrien fought the urge to whoop. He was right! "When you came back, and Ladybug arrived shortly after, and then lots of little things happened to make me almost certain," he explained.

"But I didn't show myself to anyone but Chat as Ladybug!" Marinette's eyes widened. "Oh. You're Chat."

Adrien couldn't help it. Her reaction was so different from what he was expecting! He burst into laughter, and had to grip the edge of the counter to keep himself upright.

Marinette sniffed. "I don't know why I'm crying," she stated matter-of-factly.

The door of the kitchen opened, and Tom loomed before them. He looked at Marinette sitting on a stool, tears streaming down her face, and Adrien behind the counter, in a hysterical fit of laughter.

When Marinette saw the look on his face, she started laughing, too.

"Young man," said Tom. "You'd better have a pretty good explanation for this."

_

 **Hey, guys. Sorry this kinda flopped toward the end. I kind of prefer reading to writing sometimes... I hope to finally finish my other Miraculous fic, "Told You So (Sequel to Tell You Later)" soon, and maybe those will be better. Anyway, I hope I didn't let you down too much, I just ran out of inspiration and knew that if I didn't finish it I never would, and I didn't want to leave you hanging (for the second time, if you've already started my other fic). :D Thanks for reading!**

 **Au revoir**

P. S. If the title seems really out there, it's because I was planning on this story going a different direction than it actually took me.


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